Australian Deaths in the RAAF/RAF. How did they occur? St Vincent

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I tied to get a photo of Carter's headstone but unfortunately it was a very bright tropical morning and the suns reflection of the white stone made for a very poor photo. I was in a rush but will try another day when there is a bit of cloud around. Meanwhile here it is just for a starter.

I am waiting on my friend in Trinidad to get back to me with the three from there.

I tied to get a photo of Carter's headstone but unfortunately it was a very bright tropical morning and the suns reflection of the white stone made for a very poor photo. I was in a rush but will try another day when there is a bit of cloud around. Meanwhile here it is just for a starter.

I am waiting on my friend in Trinidad to get back to me with the three from there.

Cxx: Re the Hudson crash in Trinidad at Rio Claro - I have bits & pieces of that aircraft in our Museum! Nice to finally put crew details to those killed. We recovered the small stuff in 92/93,Machine Guns, radio etc but had to leave the under-carriage in place!
Duncan: are you the Duncan Richardson who sent us a 1932 picture of Cipriani/Lickford and others? If so, it is still on display.

Cxx: Re the Hudson crash in Trinidad at Rio Claro - I have bits & pieces of that aircraft in our Museum! Nice to finally put crew details to those killed. We recovered the small stuff in 92/93,Machine Guns, radio etc but had to leave the under-carriage in place!
Duncan: are you the Duncan Richardson who sent us a 1932 picture of Cipriani/Lickford and others? If so, it is still on display.

I can't actually put Johnson on this aircraft, don't have a crew list, but the date matches, might give you a lead.

When the time came for a major service of 220 Squadrons Fortresses, every 800 hours, they were ferried to Thornaby. F/O. Desmond E. Morris lifted Fortress FK206 'K' off the planked runway at Lagens at 03:26 hrs in the early morning of 4 December 1943. Thirty seconds later the Fortress plunged into the Atlantic with the loss of all on board.
The official likely cause was loss of control following the change from visual flight to instruments on a very black night. The bodies of three crew members were recovered - two Canadians and one Australian - to be buried in the civil cemetery at Angra and later moved to the Lajes War Cemetery.

Extract from 'Unsung Sentinels' - R. Stitt.

Regards
Peter

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Hi Peter,

F/O Desmond Edward MORRIS was my grandfather. I don't know much about him as he died before my father was born, so I was wondering if that book you quoted had any more info in it about him, the crash, or the crew on board or if you know of other books I should purchase.

As a counter-point, PLTOFF Johnson’s personnel file (letter from the RAAF casualty section to the family) states:

“The Flying Fortress aircraft in which he was flying as Navigator, took off at 3.26 a.m. on 4th December, 1943, and was engaged on night anti-submarine sweep.

When the aircraft reached a point two miles from the end of the runway it turned to starboard, and either dived or stalled to the sea. It was not possible to determine the cause of the crash, and I regret to state that all members of the crew lost their lives.”

This isn’t to say that the info in the Stitt book is incorrect, I have seen examples of letters in other files with notes similar to “don’t mention the onboard fire prior to the crash”. It’s possible that it sounded better to state the aircraft was on a mission as compared to on its way to a scheduled servicing. (NB – PLTOFF Pearce’s file states he was on a non-operational flight)

The file lists Johnson as a Flight Sergeant at the time of his death, however, his commissioning as a Pilot Officer was promulgated shortly after the crash with an effective date of August 1943.

Also in his file is a copy of the (very faded) crew list and crash report (the name of the Pilot - D E. Morris is readable). Of the eight crew on board, there was four RAF, two Royal Canadian Air Force and two Royal Australian Air Force.

The file for PLTOFF Pearce advises that only the bodies of Johnson and the two Canadians (Flack & Boudreault) were recovered. These three are buried together in The Azores. The other five crew members are commemorated on the Runnymede memorial according to the CWGC.

Wt. Offr. Campion in 1940 was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal, which was automatically exchanged for the George Cross by the terms of the institution of that award in September 1940. The London Gazette of 5th July, 1940, gives the following details: L.A.C. Michael Campion displayed great courage in rescuing an unconscious pilot from an aircraft which caught fire as the result of a collision between two Blenheim aircraft while taking off. Aircraftman Campion was one of the first to arrive on the scene. With Aircraftman Frost, he worked heroically, despite the imminent danger of the petrol tanks exploding, and extricated the pilot from the burning wreck. Shortly afterwards the petrol tanks exploded and the whole aircraft was rapidly burnt out. Unfortunately the pilot died later.

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Informal portrait of 401163 Warrant Officer (WO) Peter Victor Waddell of Melbourne, Vic, standing on the deck of the Polish steamer Narvick, which rescued him and seven other Australian sergeant pilots after the Orcades was torpedoed. WO Waddell later served with 249 Squadron, RAF and was later lost on operations on 30 March 1944 over Albania.